Ultrasound inspection

Abstract

A device and method for performing ultra-sound scanning of a substantially cylindrical object. The device comprises a cuff adapted to fit around a circumference of the object, an ultrasound probe mounted about the inner circumference of the cuff and positioned to scan the circumference of the object, and one or more data connections providing control information for the ultrasound probe and receiving scanning data from the ultrasound probe. The probe includes one or more sensors to determine its orientation or location, and this data is used to control the operation of the device and to process data from the array.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A device for performing ultrasound scanning of a conduit, comprising:
 a cylindrical cuff adapted to fit around a circumference of the conduit; 
 a full-matrix-capture ultrasound probe mounted on the cuff and positioned to scan the circumference of the conduit; and 
 one or more sensors mounted on the cuff to determine at least one of an acceleration of the cuff and an orientation of the cuff; 
 wherein the device is configured to vary a sampling rate of the ultrasound probe based on a rate of movement of the device relative to the conduit and using data from said one or more sensors. 
 
     
     
       2. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more sensors comprise at least one gyroscope. 
     
     
       3. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more sensors comprise at least one accelerometer. 
     
     
       4. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more sensors comprise a gyroscope and an accelerometer operable to determine the orientation and the acceleration of the cuff. 
     
     
       5. The device of  claim 4 , wherein the gyroscope and the accelerometer are operable to determine orientation and acceleration in three dimensions. 
     
     
       6. A device for performing ultrasound scanning of a conduit, comprising:
 a cylindrical cuff adapted to fit around a circumference of the conduit; 
 an ultrasound probe mounted on the cuff and positioned to scan the circumference of the conduit; and 
 at least one indicator on the cylindrical cuff for alerting a user of a deficiency in probe data obtained by the ultrasound probe. 
 
     
     
       7. The device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a seal at either end of the cylindrical cuff for containing fluid in an interior region between an interior surface of the cuff and an exterior of the conduit; and 
 a fluid intake for receiving fluid and passing the fluid into the interior region. 
 
     
     
       8. The device of  claim 1 , further comprising one or more data connections providing control information for the ultrasound probe and receiving scanning data from the ultrasound probe. 
     
     
       9. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the ultrasound probe is an array of ultrasound transceivers. 
     
     
       10. The device of  claim 9 , wherein the array of ultrasound transceivers spans an entire circumference of the conduit. 
     
     
       11. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the cuff comprises at least two portions detachable from each other for fitting the cuff around the conduit. 
     
     
       12. The device of  claim 7 , wherein the cuff has at least one indicator for alerting a user of a deficiency in probe data obtained by the ultrasound probe. 
     
     
       13. The device of  claim 12 , wherein the deficiency is one or more of deficiencies in the probe data which may affect the quality of collected probe data, problems with fluid flow, and problems with the seal around the conduit. 
     
     
       14. The device of  claim 3 , wherein the accelerometer is a 3-axis accelerometer. 
     
     
       15. The device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 one or more light indicators for providing an operator with visual feedback. 
 
     
     
       16. The device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a rotary encoder for determining a distance the device has traveled along a pipe; 
 and one or more inertial measurement units for recording orientation of the device. 
 
     
     
       17. A device for performing ultrasound scanning of a conduit, comprising:
 a cylindrical cuff adapted to fit around a circumference of the conduit; 
 an ultrasound probe mounted on the cuff and positioned to scan a circumference of the conduit; and 
 a cylindrical rolling seal at each end of the cylindrical cuff, to maintain a rolling watertight seal. 
 
     
     
       18. The device of  claim 17 , further comprising a wiper seal peripheral to said cylindrical rolling seal. 
     
     
       19. The device of  claim 17 , further comprising a cylindrical shaft extending through an axis of said cylindrical rolling seal. 
     
     
       20. The device of  claim 19 , wherein said cylindrical shaft is flexible. 
     
     
       21. The device of  claim 1 , further comprising a processor, wherein the processor is configured to:
 perform a full-matrix-capture scan of a first point along a longitudinal axis of the conduit, comprising:
 transmitting an ultrasound signal from a first ultrasound element in the ultrasound probe; 
 sensing and recording ultrasound signals received by the ultrasound elements in the ultrasound probe; and 
 repeating the steps of transmitting, sensing and recording, wherein the step of transmitting is performed in turn by each ultrasound element in the ultrasound probe other than the first ultrasound element; 
 
 reposition the ultrasound probe at a second point along the longitudinal axis of the conduit; 
 perform a full-matrix-capture scan of the second point along the longitudinal axis of the conduit; and 
 use data obtained from the one or more sensors in correlating the scan at the first point and the scan at the second point to each other. 
 
     
     
       22. The device of  claim 21 , wherein the ultrasound probe has one or more indicators for alerting a user of a deficiency in the probe data, and wherein the processor is further configured to, before performing each full-matrix-capture scan:
 transmit at least one ultrasound signal from at least one ultrasound element in the ultrasound probe; 
 sense at least one ultrasound signal received by at least one ultrasound element in the ultrasound probe; 
 evaluate a quality of the at least one sensed signal; and 
 alert the user to an outcome of the evaluation using the at least one or more indicators. 
 
     
     
       23. The device of  claim 21 , wherein the ultrasound probe has one or more indicators for alerting a user, and wherein the processor is further configured to, before performing each full-matrix-capture scan:
 evaluate whether a position and an orientation of the ultrasound probe are correct based on data from the one or more sensors; and 
 alert the user to an outcome of the evaluation using the at least one or more indicators. 
 
     
     
       24. The device of  claim 21 , wherein the correlating the scan at the first point with the scan at the second point comprises differentially regulating a sampling speed for different points on the ultrasound probe. 
     
     
       25. The device of  claim 24 , wherein the differentially regulating the sampling speed comprises:
 determining if the probe is currently scanning a curved section of the conduit based on data from the one or more sensors; and 
 sampling with the probe less frequently on an inner side of the curved section than on an outer side of the curved section. 
 
     
     
       26. The device of  claim 6 , wherein the at least one indicator is a light indicator.